Arroyo High School Renovations Approved by State Architect

EL MONTE, Calif. — Renovation plans for Arroyo High School were approved by the Division of State Architects and construction is scheduled to start in September, according to school officials.

The renovations call for a new classroom building, additions and improvements to existing buildings and broad landscape upgrades.

Pasedena-based Gonzalez Goodale Architects designed a new two-story, 34,000-square-foot building with 20 classrooms in a U-shaped layout that surrounds an open student plaza. The improvements extend to a repaved parking lot and driveways, new playfield lawn and irrigation system and a new main entrance parking lot and campus entry.

“The classroom building will replace aged portables,” says Chuong Ngo, project architect.

The library, an existing classroom building and three science classrooms will be completely remodeled to provide improved technology infrastructure, according to designers.

“ADA compliance upgrades and electrical/information technology upgrades were established as a budget priority by the school district,” says David Goodale, design principal at Gonzalez Goodale. “We incorporated our design values to respond to the accelerating pace of modern life and the overwhelming rate at which knowledge and information are increasing.”

The school’s name inspired designers to create a unique landscape feature that simulates an arroyo or dry streambed, lined with drought-tolerant grasses, decorative gravel and accent boulders. The arroyo collects surface runoff from the nearby new hardscape and lawn areas to function as a bio-swale that filters the runoff before it enters the storm drainage system, designers say.

Additional landscape changes include a new entry garden with edge seat walls, a crescent amphitheater stage with grass terraces and campus perimeter green space gardens. Construction is scheduled to be complete by fall of 2011.